Beauty and Gratitude

Over at Holy Experience, Ann wrote about a Beauty Challenge and finding Beauty Inspiration in the everyday and mundane of our daily lives.  She always speaks to my soul and so I immediately gathered up a collection of vases and went outside in search of beauty on a chilly, windy autumn day.  And oh, I found beauty in the ending of a season as plants and the land prepare for the long rest of winter.

And these simple reminders grace our mantle, amidst the chaos of some house renovations, a calm vignette  of God's goodness and the beauty that only He can give to us.

These things fill my gratitude list today:

- the sun regally creeping over the horizon in a burst of fire to light the morning

- clouds tinted pink and yellow by the glow of sunrise

- empty branches of leafless trees reaching up to the sky, reminding me to reach upward too

- smooth, smooth roads

- water -  so much clean water to drink

- the smell of supper cooking

- books to read

- fresh color covering my walls

- the smiles of our grandchildren

- red poppies to remind me to remember

- young voices raised in choir singing of Flander's Fields

- hugs from a dear, dear friend

- book club discussions and the diversity of thinking

- a glimpse inside the thinking of a child as new math concepts and strategies are explored

- the service given by men and women in war times and through peace keeping

- pictures and the reminder of good times and new places

- fresh hot popcorn

- a favourite tea mug

- the intensity of evening skies

- the sound of geese gathering to migrate south - they seem so excited to meet up again

Consider joining the Gratitude Community and building your list of 1000 gifts with us.